Blood Simple

1985 "Breaking up is hard to do."
7.5| 1h37m| R| en| More Info
Released: 18 January 1985 Released
Producted By: Circle Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.

Genre

Drama, Thriller, Crime

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Blood Simple (1985) is now streaming with subscription on Max

Director

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Production Companies

Circle Films

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Blood Simple Audience Reviews

Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Nonureva Really Surprised!
BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
stancym-1 The whole thing did not make sense. The way everyone seemed to make decisions seemed extremely unlikely and far fetched without the necessary humor to make that work. I agreed with the reviewer who stated that one is unlikely to bury a body in an open field with a lit up house not far away. Especially with tire tracks leading to the scene. Then there is the matter of the husband who hires a sleazy detective to kill his wife and her lover. He is shot apparently dead, certainly bleeding a LOT, and we are supposed to believe he suddenly comes to life after hours of not moving and after hours of being dragged away from the murder scene in a car, all the while not moving? Suddenly he has the energy to get out of the car, crawl in the road, and start firing shots at the wife's lover to boot? and wait, he's dragged some more and dumped in a pit dug by the lover, and he is still alive enough to fire MORE shots? As for the leads, the lovers, how did these two ever get together? They tell each other NOTHING, explain NOTHING, and have no communication or affection of any kind in the whole movie. You really dont LIKE any character in this film, and for some that may not matter. It did to me. There is no humor to lighten this dark, depressing piece, and there was too much stupidity for me. Disagreeable and distasteful film. FARGO is a far superior film.
Dylan Dunmyer It really shows that this is the first film the Coen brothers made. While it is watchable, and some parts do becoming gripping, this ultimately is a film i have no desire to re-watch.The script is decent for the most part, but there are some of the cheesiest scenes that I've seen in a long time sprinkled in the movie. The themes of what is good, and what is right, money is the root of evil, and people in positions they are woefully unfit for are prevalent throughout this film. The characters are well written, and you understand all their motivations, however I find pretty much everyone in this movie to be quite bland, but that's probably because the acting is atrocious. The best actor in the movie bar none is M. Emmet Walsh. He is the only person in the movie that actually has fun with the role. Everyone else sounds like they are just reading off of a script from start to finish, and in a contest to see how serious they can sound. There are two stand out moments when Walsh has a scene with Dan Hedaya, and later Frances Mcdormand that features really good acting for the most part, and a sense of atmosphere, but that's really it.I was shocked when i saw that Barry Sonnenfeld was the director for cinematography because it's all over the place, it really feels like a mixed bag of sorts. There are a couple of good shots, some decent shots, and then some really bad shots. Like i said, it just jumps around all over the movie. You go from long continuous shots with an almost speed up pace, to drawn out scenes with jump cuts galore. The editing is pretty bad in my opinion.Like wise, i was equally shocked when i saw Carter Burwell made the music. I don't know what exactly he was thinking, but this soundtrack is laughable. It sounds like the music you would hear when you walk through the living room and your mom is watching one of those Saturday night LMN movies. It just does not work here at all to me.I do like the special effects they use. It looks very nice, and apart from one scene where it's very obvious that it's not blood, it works throughout the movie.This is something that i would expect to see as a made for TV movie from 1998, however as it was the Coen's first movie i wasn't expecting a masterpiece to begin with. I'm glad i can add this to my Watchlist, and i encourage anyone would loves the Coen's to see it, but i'll stick to their later, more refined works.
Eric Stevenson I was eager to watch the first Coen Brothers movie. The weird things is that even though this was labeled a cult film, I actually don't hear it being referenced much. This is still a great movie and while not as good as "Fargo", still worth checking out. This really did remind me of that movie. I think it had something to do with driving at night and stopping over with having to deal with a dead body. The music is amazing.That scene taking place in the night has no dialogue. I think it's actually the best part of the entire movie, because you truly let the atmosphere tell the story here. I really do associate with the people in this movie and I do get the main romance. Now, there really aren't that many characters that are all that nice in this movie, mirroring "Fargo" again. This is still the perfect length with fantastic tension being built up. Hopefully, more word will be spread about it. ***1/2
Woodyanders Scuzzy cuckolded bar owner Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya in peak oily form) hires sleazy private detective Visser (marvelously played to the deliciously odious hilt by M. Emmet Walsh) to murder his unfaithful wife Abby (an excellent portrayal by Frances McDormand) and her earnest lover Ray (a solid performance by John Getz). However, human error enters into the equation and things spiral dangerously out of control.Joel and Ethan Coen bring a standard noir situation kicking and screaming into a bright, lurid, and sweaty Texas world in their striking cinematic debut: We've got a dark brooding atmosphere, a colorful array of nicely sordid characters, an absorbing premise that's firmly grounded in a plausibly seamy and starkly amoral workaday reality, inspired touches of wickedly funny black humor, fine use of the dusty'n'desolate Lone Star State terrain, and a serpentine narrative in which a series of bad calls and misunderstandings culminate in a real doozy of a violent and nightmarish climax. The four leads all do sturdy work, with Walsh a particular stand-out as a super slimy worm who's more than willing to kill someone for the right price. Barry Sonnenfeld's gleaming cinematography provides an appropriately garish glittery neon look and boasts lots of sinuous tracking shots. Carter Burwell's spare moody score does the harmonic trick. Essential viewing.